


rust

by ReiSenTa



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Alternate Universe - Silent Hill Fusion, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Emotional Hurt, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Horror, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Psychological Horror, Survival Horror, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:42:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24475207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReiSenTa/pseuds/ReiSenTa
Summary: Ben wakes up in a fog, drifting away to a warped nightmare."Hell is other people."- Jean Paul Sartre, "No Exit"
Relationships: Albedo & Azmuth (Ben 10 Series), Albedo & Ben Tennyson, Ben Tennyson & Max Tennyson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> shhhh i wanna have my pseudo grim dark au
> 
> Also, knowledge of silent hill is optional

The road stretches on forever.

Fog blankets the skies, silhouettes of buildings stand in the distance. The sign to Bellwood is faded, the paint peeling off and rust slowly eating its way through the letters. The streets are strangely empty, the once crowded streets devoid of both humans and aliens. 

Even at night, Bellwood is alive, but the air is too still.

“Hello?” Ben calls as he steps forward. It feels like he is in a different universe, but he had no idea how he ended up here. No flash of memory or sudden pain that means he had a concussion. Any attempts at recollection fills his head with white static, not painful but strange all the same. He just blinked and the next thing he knows, he’s at the edge of Bellwood.

“It’s Hero Time.” He raises his left wrist up and pauses. The usual green glow is gone, overtaken by dark gray. He pushes the faceplate to open, but the Omnitrix is unresponsive. There is no beeping to indicate that the Watch had timed out. It’s just… inactive. “Ugh, the batteries are gone.”

His voice bounces off the tarmac and disappears into the fog. The cold seeps through his clothes and the teen huddles in his hoodie to warm himself. Ben then fiddles his pockets for his phone, and cheers when he fishes it out. No reception. Dread crawls up his spine as the situation finally sinks in.

He is alone.

There is no way to call for help and backup, no way to fly into the sky and find exactly where he ended up. He couldn’t call Professor Paradox either. Maybe the man would appear?

If he would, then Professor Paradox would have shown up when Ben… woke up?

“This is crazy.” With no other way to go, Ben decides that finding Plumber HQ would be his best option. “Maybe this is a nuclear fall out universe? And everyone’s hiding in bunkers?”

He really should stop talking to himself.

The teen knows Bellwood like the back of his hand, can explore the concrete jungle in his sleep. He should be able to get to Grandpa Max’s store in no time. 

Ben’s footsteps don't echo as he walks, the sound swallowed up by the fog, and he ignores the painful reminder that he is all alone. He turns to the corner and sees the outline of Mr. Smoothies a few blocks ahead, cheering at the familiar sight.

The whole place is empty: the carpark is devoid of any vehicles, food still on tables as if the customers suddenly up and left, the entrance to the restaurant ajar with the open sign hanging lopsidedly on the door handle. Ben isn’t hungry, but he isn’t desperate enough to eat the stuff left out in what could be hours. 

Or days.

The register is empty, and a thick layer of dust covers every available surface. There are no cobwebs.

Ben pulls out his phone and opens its flashlight to see better, and is glad he did. Tiny footsteps lead to the double doors to the kitchen, small and recent.

Maybe Ben isn’t so alone after all.

He pushes the door open and barely dodges the metal pipe aimed at his ribs. The aluminum doors flap open and close as he jumps back out to the dining area, green eyes wide.

In front of him is Albedo, a warped mirror of his ten-year-old self, red eyes wild and darting around in open fear. The pipe in his hands is bent at an angle, flecks of reddish brown on one end, the metal glinting ominously as the light from Ben’s phone bounces off its surface. The shadows around Albedo’s now young face shift and warp as the doors slowly halts half-open, his knuckles almost as white as his hair as he grips his weapon.

“Tennyson?” The boy asked finally, straightening his stance, ready for another swing. Ben feels his heart in his throat as Albedo trembles like a leaf in the wind, shoulders shaking as he slowly backs away from the teen. He can only gape and watch, and it isn’t long when the former Galvan starts gearing up to run.

“Wait!” Ben shouts and flinches when Albedo raises the pipe. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

That placates the boy, and he lowers both his guard and weapon as Ben pulls himself up. Red eyes still kept a wary gaze Ben’s way, and the hero wonders if his alternate self in this universe is another crazed warlord and Albedo is good here. Hopefully, Albedo would trust him enough to help.

It’s definitely going to be weird working with his evil twin’s good self.

“I guess you’re thinking I’m the evil Ben that–” Albedo stills, pulls the pipe closer to his chest. “–is responsible for whatever nuclear fall-out here. But! I’m one of the good guys and—”

“There’s a bunch of multiverses, yes I know.” The boy huffs, and marches past Ben. The hero feels a flicker of annoyance at the fact that Albedo is very much a prick no matter what universe. “I thought you were a monster.”

Ben frowns. Well, that just made this trip  _ all _ the more better. With the Omnitrix out of commission, their only hope or way out is by finding Plumber HQ and get this world’s Albedo to make a portal or something. With their luck though, maybe Ben’s evil alternate self already made it his home base.

“Nothing new, I’ve been fighting monsters for years! We can definitely go through this together.” The look the boy gives him is strange, and Ben chooses to ignore it. This world’s Albedo is probably weirded out to see a good version of Ben Tennyson. 

The world is still, not even a gust of wind blows.

Ben clears his throat, smiling as comfortingly as he can. “I’m headed to Plumber HQ, if it’s intact, evil me might be there and we can beat his butt there.”

Albedo bites his lips, a habit Ben had long abandoned whenever he was deep in thought.

“Okay, I’ll come with.” Almost hesitantly, Albedo steps closer to Ben’s bubble, still clinging to the pipe like it's his only lifeline. If the matching gray on the boy’s Omnitrix was any indication, they have no aliens to rely on to defend themselves. “If you need any weapons… there’s a knife at the back.”

“Thanks!” Ben said with as much cheer and gratitude he could muster. He isn’t going to let some nuclear fall-out universe get his spirits down.

To comfort and set a good example, Ben grabbed Albedo by the shoulder, a shudder ran up his arm when he felt something sticky and thick drying on the shirt’s material. He ignores it and continues deeper into the kitchen, his flashlight pointed ahead.

Ben chokes.

The light glints off a chef’s knife, the blade half-buried on a severed arm, straight through a round golden watch-face and to a chopping board. Ben shines the light around the room, and finds that it is devoid of any other items he can use to defend himself. All the cabinet doors are flung open, packages of food covered in mildew are the only things stored inside.

Ben steels himself and walks towards the table, and offers an apology when Albedo tries to pry his hand. He didn’t realize his grip had gone hard and bruising. Albedo just scowls at him and manages to remove Ben’s hold. The teen is about to grab Albedo again, but keeps his hand away when the boy bares his teeth in a warning.

“Stop stalling and get the knife, Tennyson!” 

Fine.

The handle is sturdy and made of wood, and the wicked edge looks polished and sharp. Ben tries tugging it with one hand, but it feels stuck. He grabbed it with both then, the blade wavering through the flesh and Ben gritted his teeth as he could feel the metal creaking and crunching through bone. 

It felt like an eternity when Ben manages to pry the knife off, the blade gleaming red under the light. With nowhere to store it, Ben holds onto it with his dominant hand, wood digging on his palm.

With an approving nod, Albedo took it upon to himself to grab Ben by the sleeve. Then they start walking.

In the distance, sirens blare.


	2. Chapter 2

“How long has Bellwood been like this?” Ben asks as they exit Mr. Smoothies, sticking close to Albedo. His phone is strapped onto a belt loop, flashlight turned on. The boy shrugs, red eyes distant.

“No idea.” 

This goes on for a long time. Albedo’s answers are short and curt, his eyes darting around. Ben understands the sentiment, it’s best to be careful in an empty version of Bellwood where monsters could be hiding in every corner. It’s just frustrating that Albedo either doesn’t have any answers or is withholding them.

Ben’s grip on the knife tightens.

“So, what are the monsters like?” He imagines Khyber's many pets, maybe Incurseans ready for ambush, or maybe Vilgax’s drones coming back to take Earth. Hopefully not Ectonurites, it’s already hard enough defending himself from Ghostfreak, a whole armada of them will be a nightmare. Or zombies? Maybe this was Benzarro’s world? Going by the post-apocalyptic look, that is the most possible theory he has..

“I…” Albedo starts, stopping in his tracks. Ben halts and looks at the boy. His red eyes are distant, looking past the fog. “Many seem like mutated alien life forms. I do not recommend engaging with them, with both of our Omnitrixes disabled.”

The teen whistles, impressed. “That’s the most I heard you talk, wow.”

Albedo scoffs then starts walking again. This is the most the former Galvan seems like the one Ben knows ever since they left the dilapidated Mr. Smoothies.

He catches up, grinning, happy that there’s a semblance of the Albedo he knows in this strange place. They turn down the corner to where Grandpa Max’s shop should be and—

The road ends.

Fog parts just enough to show the other side of the street, a gaping maw separating them. Ben approaches the edge and peers down. Pipes and debris jut out the jagged earth with no end in sight. Going to the sides – and nothing, the maw stretched onto either side, as far as the eye can see. Any signs where Plumber HQ should be is missing, Ben couldn’t tell if Undertown is there either.

“No….” Ben turns, and Albedo’s face is almost as white as his hair. “It wasn’t here before, there was a road up ahead but there was a blockade–”

“Maybe it was blocking this cliff thing?”

Albedo shakes his head in denial. “It was barbed wire, I could  _ see  _ through it. There was a road there, but–”

If it was just blocked by barbed wire, they might have made it through together.

“Now it’s not?”

Albedo nods, pulling the pipe closer to his chest.

“And now it’s not,” he echoes back.

Ben grabs a nearby pebble and throws it down the end. It bounces off, each patter of the stone echoing through the fog. It goes on, the sound fading as it goes down the depths. Both boys take a step back when the sound disappears.

“Think it made its way to the bottom?”

Albedo has no answer. 

“Let’s check if there’s another way around. Maybe we can go through Mr. Baumann’s- it exists here, right?”

The former Galvan doesn’t answer right away, and Ben watches his expression. Albedo’s face is strangely blank. That doesn’t bode well at all.

“Grocer for aliens and humans? It’s usually a few blocks away and it has an entrance to—”

“Undertown. Yes, I know the place.”

He matches the boy’s pace, hand loose on the knife. Ben is tempted to ask more about this version of Bellwood, but it’s starting to feel like that this Albedo is the sort to share information at a need to know basis. Which sucks a lot. At least his Albedo never fails to share anything and everything.

The walk back is shorter. Because the road back is gone, too.

“What the hell?” Ben could only gape at the sight in front of him. The fog parts enough to show the edge stretching on either side, no way back to where both had come from. They didn’t take that long, did they?

How could they miss something this big? Something must have come and cut the road off - but they should have heard something, right? This isn’t making any  _ sense _ .

Dread prickled at the edge of Ben’s senses. The need to get out increases. He feels trapped. Lost and alone. But he has felt this hopelessness a thousand times, and in the worst ways so it doesn’t take much to push the urge to _run_ _away_.

Breathing in and out, Ben takes a step back. Albedo is still next to him. The younger boy is just in the dark as he is.

“I guess no Mr. Smoothies, huh?” Ben quips, but Albedo just stares back blankly. The former Galvan opens his mouth to speak, but electricity crackles in the air. 

“Where is that coming from?” 

Ben removes the phone from his belt and unlocks it. The screen is full of white noise, tinny static coming out of the speakers. Trying to navigate the phone is impossible, clicking the buttons does nothing, and trying to force it off doesn’t stop the electricity dripping out of the speakers. He gives the phone a shake and light tap, but the static grows louder.

_ “...Ben…. need your— can’t…. It’s been… No… how…..”  _

“Grandpa Max?” Ben holds onto his phone with both hands. “Can you hear me?”

_ “... HQ… now…”  _

Then the static dies.

That fuels the spark of hope in Ben. They aren’t all alone. Grandpa Max and the rest of the town must be in the Plumber’s base. They were already headed there. They just need to get creative.

“Tennyson?” Albedo’s voice cuts through the static. He is brandishing the pipe in his hands, glancing around in alarm. “I find it unwise to remain here, we need to  _ go _ .”

The hair on the back of Ben’s neck prickles, and he couldn’t help but feel that they’re being watched. He nods at Albedo and motions for him to follow. He returns his phone back to his belt loop and takes a deep breath. The road to Mr. Bauman’s is on the next intersection. He can only hope that the path lays intact.

“Stay close,” Ben reminds the boy. Albedo just raises a brow and keeps to himself. Fine, the former Galvan has been fending for himself. Ben can trust that the other is capable of fighting off whatever monster that roams Bellwood.

They encounter nothing as they travel, even if Ben feels like they are being followed. His hackles continue to rise involuntarily, and gooseflesh covers both arms when they finally make it to Bauman’s grocer.

The windows are boarded up, dust and grime coating the once pristine walls, water and ivy dripping down from the edges and into the concrete, the bright sign hanging loosely by its frames, shopping carts surround the place haphazardly in disarray, The open sign flaps from its string, the double doors swinging as if someone just went in.

On the ground, a trail of blood disappears inside.

“Some of the monsters leave traces of their… bodies behind,” Albedo speaks up, and Ben is pleasantly surprised. At least he didn’t have to prompt the other boy. “Engaging with even one of the monsters will attract the attention of others..”

“Got it.”

Pitch darkness greets them as they enter, the flashlight on his hip the only source of light in the once bustling grocer. Abandoned carts lay forlorn on the linoleum, most shelves empty and upturned, every available surface where the light shines are coated in dust and grime, the squeaks of a wheel from an upturned cart bounces off the walls as it spins in the empty space. Ben expects Mr. Baumann to appear from the corner, red-faced and fuming, ready to berate Ben for his latest disaster.

Except, they’re all alone.

Or as close to alone Albedo and Ben could be. 

“Let’s stick together,” Ben declares, reaching out for Albedo’s shoulder. He feels the former Galvan stiffen under his touch, but doesn’t move to get out of Ben’s hold. The teen tries squeezing the other boy reassuringly, but that doesn’t make Albedo let his guard down.

Their footsteps echoed in the empty building, the walls seemingly containing a space too large and vast. Ben kept an eye out, searching for any signs of life or clues as to what happened to this version of Bellwood. 

“This place is a lot bigger than the one back home,” Ben says, can’t help but take note. What should have been a two-minute walk was taking them a lot longer, and he can’t help but wish to have XLR8 or Crasshopper get them closer to the center. It really is difficult to see through the oppressive darkness, the shadows seemingly swallowing the light Ben's phone emits.

As they approach the abandoned counter, the smell hits Ben all at once.

It is thick, cloyingly sweet with a nauseating bitter-sour that seemed to coat the back of Ben's tongue, a hint of something metallic and viscous trying to slide down his throat. Ben swallows the bitter bile threatening to crawl up his throat, his grip on Albedo tightening, but the boy does nothing to shake it off.

A human corpse wearing a heavily stained jacket hangs from a light fixture, swaying gently in place, neck stretched wide and head hidden under a sack. Blood drips down its left hand in an uneven rhythm, the red almost black as the light follows it down to the floor.

_ Liar Liar _

Ben can’t stop himself, he pulls Albedo behind him. A distant part of his mind knows that Albedo is a far cry from a child, knows that this Albedo has seen  _ worse _ , but all Ben can think of is that  _ no child _ should see something like  _ this _ . It’s no use, because Albedo wriggles out of his hold. 

“Let’s just go Tennyson,” Albedo says, but he couldn’t hide the tremble in his voice as he looks over the counter.

Both avoid the puddle of blood pooling on the floor, stepping over a box of Taydenites spilling out of a worn metal box. Ben kneels to push the debris off the entrance to undertown, nudging some of the broken glass using the knife away, and then freezes.

The hatch to Undertown is there, but a passcode box keeps it sealed shut. Ben tries prying it off, but it does not give. He tries entering a code, but it is unresponsive.

“It’s busted.” Ben pulls himself up and pats the dust off his pants. “See anything we can use to juice it up?”

Albedo rummages the counters, steers clear of the body swaying above them. The flashlight follows the smaller boy, Ben unable to let the former Galvan out of his sight. It was a little irrational, as his phone is able to illuminate enough of their surroundings so that Ben can turn around and keep watch for any possible monsters.

It’s just that… there’s a terrible feeling creeping up his spine. That the moment he takes his eyes off Albedo, something horrible will happen.

“I believe I found something that may be of use.” Albedo pulls an enormous wooden box from one of the decrepit shelves. It once was full of intricate engravings and complicated gold leaf, now it is nothing more than rotting wood and mildew-covered metal. The box looks to be a very old fashioned hand crank generator, very out of place in a grocer that caters to both humans and aliens.

The boy sets it down next to the lock pad then frowns. “We need something to connect both objects. However… the port on the generator doesn’t seem to be used for electricity.”

Ben shines his flashlight for a closer look. “Huh, it kinda looks like the stuff used for  _ really really  _ old phones. It should be a really thick and swirly wire.”

“I know what they look like Tennyson,” scoffs Albedo and then continues searching for anything they can use. Albedo returns to a few shelves he already searched before, and Ben notes that the boy is retreading for anything he might have missed. When it becomes apparent that there’s nothing they can use, Albedo returns to Ben in a huff.

“We may need to search for appropriate wiring in a different location.”

The teen nods at that. Ben makes sure he is close to Albedo when they start to walk. They weren’t even a few feet away when an ominous groaning filled the air.

Both boys freeze, heads snapping back to where the sound had come from and sees the corpse.

It was spinning faster in place, more blood dripping down its hand, the light fixture where it’s hung is a little lower.

“Oh god,” Ben gasps, his flashlight now focused on the corpse. 

At first what he thought was rope was actually a telephone wire–the makeshift noose coiled around the neck in tight loops. Another creak of metal bending fills the air, the corpse jerks closer to the two, and a horrible snap resounds in the empty space.

The body falls into a heap of twisted limbs, all bent unnaturally. It has been rotting for some time, and the left ulna snaps out of the forearm like splintered wood, the bone sliding up and out of the wrist.

Nausea tries to climb out of Ben’s throat, but he swallows it down again as he covers his mouth. At least they don’t need to leave Mr. Baumann’s store.

“Stay close,” Ben reminds Albedo as he approaches the body, wishing desperately he can transform to another alien–any alien–so that they didn’t have to go through something as looting a dead body just to move forward. Ben doesn’t move until he feels Albedo tugging on his hoodie, relief flooding him. It feels like that the former Galvan is anchoring him as he kneels over the corpse and carefully untangles the wire.

For some reason, he expects the body to suddenly come to life and grab him, but nothing happens as he finally retrieves the makeshift noose. It uncoils like a snake, slick with blood and other fluids Ben has no interest in knowing.

“Come on.” Ben quickly grabs Albedo again and guided him towards the hatch. Dread and the need to  _ leave _ now prickled under his skin. There is a low hum in the air, like electricity. It took Ben a minute to realize that his phone is emitting static once more, but he has no interest to investigate further.

He jabs the plastic ends of the wire on the lock pad and the generator, a little confused how on earth would it be able to power the door. But he has no time to ponder on it as the white noise coming from his phone grew louder. Ben wastes no time spinning the hand crank, each rotation a terrible screech that grates his ears. He feels Albedo stiffen when what sounds like footsteps echo from the distance.

_ “... please, no… I can’t… no…. no … no… sto–! Hu– don’t… this please!” _

The voice on the radio is half-familiar as it sobs.

Fog creeps inside the grocer, the light from Ben’s flashlight illuminating the cold mist. The shadows shift and dance, and from his position, an enormous figure seems to approach. It is misshapen, twitching and shaking like its having a seizure.

Next to him, Albedo is frozen, breath coming in short and visible spurts. That just pushes Ben on to rotate the generator faster, his whole body trembling as the lock pad slowly sputters into life.

“Enter 0522!” Ben almost screams, and Albedo doesn’t move right away, red eyes wide and fixed on the creature making its way to the two of them. Cursing, Ben punches the code quick, and the hatch creaks open, the swing of the heavy metal door nearly glacial. “Let’s go!”

He pushes Albedo to the passage when it’s wide enough for both boys to go through. It’s dark and small, could barely fit three adult humans, and just looking at it makes Ben feel claustrophobic. Albedo almost tumbles down the stairs, but Ben is quick to pull him by the back of the shirt to keep him from falling. Ben slides in next, grabs on to the handle under the hatch and  _ pulls _ .

It slams close resoundingly, the creak of metal bouncing inside his skull like a sledgehammer. The static is gone at least.

The danger isn’t gone.

Another horrible groan fills the air, the hatch begins to bend, metal distorting and deforming.

“Don’t let go, okay?” Ben grabs Albedo by the hand and tugs him closer, heart beating too fast for him to feel when one starts and ends. He runs, almost leaping two steps as Albedo tries to catch up. When it becomes obvious to him that the boy is nearly tripping on his feet, he pauses just so he can carry the smaller boy. His throat tightens when Albedo barely reacts, and just clings to him.

He’s too small.

All he can think as they run down is how light the former Galvan is, and how easy it was to feel his bones under the pale skin. Ben doesn’t remember being this skinny, and he wonders how he didn’t notice when he had been grabbing Albedo by the shoulder ever since they met.

An aching numbness began to creep up his legs, but Ben didn't let it slow him down. He can still hear the metal of the hatch awning under the terrible weight of the creature trying to pry it open. 

Ben chances a glance back and fear grips his chest in a vice.

The hatch is creeping upon them, the stairs disappearing up as both boys descend. There’s no rhyme or reason as to why a door is following them, and all it manages to do is send Ben’s hindbrain into a frenzy.

_ ‘This can’t be possible,’ _ Ben thinks, pushing himself on, breaths short.  _ ‘This must be a nightmare.’ _

Except, Ben is sure he is not dreaming, if Albedo’s arms around his neck is anything to go by.

The stairs seem endless, the space around their sides narrowing and narrowing until it’s just Ben and a tightly clinging Albedo can fit through. He had no idea how deep underground they are and at some point, Ben is absolutely sure that they should have reached Undertown by now, but they keep going down and down and down and down and—

Light flitted at the end of the stairwell.

Ben doesn’t pause as he nearly leapt down, all too aware that he has Albedo in a near-death grip as they reach the bottom.

With one last burst of adrenaline, they make it through the passage and out into the fog and—

The hatch is gone behind them.

Twin breaths fogged the air, both Ben and Albedo panting before the older boy collapsed, weak and exhausted. Sweat dripped down his forehead in enormous drops, and every ache and small pain made itself known.

Then Albedo gasps sharply, sucking the breath in as he leaps away from Ben, holding on to his shoulder, his face pale and white with pain.

Blood dribbles through his fingers and that’s when Ben realizes the knife dug on Albedo’s shoulder during his impromptu carry. Cursing himself for his stupidity, another rush of adrenaline had Ben stripping out of his hoodie to tear a strip off with his knife. A distant part of his mind is thankful for the mandatory Plumber training he took with Gwen and Kevin, and just a little disappointed that they don’t have any proper medical supplies to staunch the bleeding.

Albedo just grits his teeth and lets Ben tend to him, hissing in pain as Ben pulls the cloth tight around his arm. He fashioned a tourniquet to keep Albedo from bleeding out and bandages to help close the wound. Thankfully, he just had enough of his hoodie to keep the makeshift bandages tight, and it wasn’t long before Ben was finished.

The teen crashes back down on the floor on his knees, breathing heavily, heart pounding. It isn’t long before guilt began to creep up his chest. He didn’t mean to hurt Albedo.

He reaches out, but Albedo dodges with a glare.

“Albedo….: Heart suddenly in his throat, an apology started crawling its way out of Ben’s lips, but something else caught his attention.

Instead of the underground houses and shops, jagged rocks and mineral deposits, something else greeted them.

Green tinted skies and mechanical architecture greets them, except what should be futuristic and alien architecture are rotted, decrepit and fallen over, long abandoned. A dark moon covered in circuitry floats in the sky, far too close than Ben last remembers, as if it’s watching them.

“This isn’t Undertown,” Ben starts, mind spinning dizzily. He wants to sit down, beyond confused. Fear claws its way up his chest, and now he understands the haunted look in Albedo’s eyes. 

“We’re in Galvan Prime.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should make a playlist

Albedo barely acknowledges Ben, doesn’t resist when the teen grabs him by the hand to guide him. Ben tries to be as gentle as possible, cringing in sympathy whenever Albedo winces from pain.

The sky is bright enough for Ben to turn his flashlight off, no mist creeping to hide the path from view. All of Ben’s hackles are up, a terrible sense of foreboding lingering beneath his skin. He wants to take the knife out of his pocket, but there’s no need for it just yet. The once proud streets are empty, Galvan Prime is as abandoned as Bellwood is above ground.

The road stretches before them, Azmuth’s tower reaching beyond the horizon, a shadow of its former glory. Most of the metal already corroded away to reveal the network of wires and framing underneath. The enormous badge that served as its beacon hung lopsidedly, barely holding on.

What served as the sun is quickly setting, painting the skies a toxic yellow. The shadows from the buildings blocking the way stretches, crawling towards the two, growing and writhing in Ben’s periphery.

“Do you think..” Ben starts _is this a nightmare?_ , throat tight as he gazes on one of the many pools for young Galvans. The water is black, debris and detritus float atop, and a horrible smell emanates from them all. It reminds Ben of sea water and toxic waste, brackish and thick with rot. “That this is a fake place? Like an environment control device is making it look like we’re in Galvan Prime.”

It is possible, Ben thinks. It has to be.

He remembers facing Khyber in his artificial planet, the sky, a simulation, as they travel away from the earth. Even if Khyber’s hunting ground is fake, the hero remembers almost believing the whole place is real. It’s not that hard to fake Galvan Prime in Undertown.

Up ahead, Galvan B seems to blink like an enormous eye, watching over them,

Yet Albedo has no answer for Ben still. His red eyes are fixated on the pools. The older boy tries getting his attention again, but either Albedo doesn’t notice or is ignoring him. Then he stops.

“What is it?” There is a particular pool the former Galvan is looking at. It looks a little different from the others. For one, it’s not as filthy or as full of waste as the others, but its waters are still murky and dark. Atop, a single basket lies. It’s as still as everything else, lifeless.

“That used to be my pool.” Albedo approaches it and kneels by the side. His reflection barely appears on the water, distorting and twisting his image. He reaches out to the water haltingly, as if he can’t decide if he should touch the surface. “I was the only one here.”

A bitter taste flooded Ben’s mouth, and he remembers Gwen and Kevin leaving. In a way, he thought he understands what Albedo feels. Surrounded by peers, but isolated all the same.

“I’m…” Ben doesn’t know what to say, so he settles for draping his arms around Albedo’s shoulders, pulling him into a hug. He could barely imagine spending more than a _month_ without Gwen, Grandpa Max, Kevin or Rook–let alone a hundred years. He wonders if the Albedo from his universe is the same. Cut-off from people that could have been family, friends. “You’re not alone.”

Albedo flinches, but doesn’t push Ben away. The teen squeezes the former Galvan comfortingly, the same way Grandpa Max would whenever he feels down.”You have me.”

“Do I?” Albedo says tonelessly, too wary and lidded with a cynicism that should not be on a child. That is when Ben is reminded that despite appearances, Albedo is not a child. “You can shower me in as many platitudes as you like, but that is simply an empty promise. Once we reach the base, you’ll leave.”

He states it like a simple fact. Without conviction, yet as sure as Albedo could be. He said it the same way one would say the sky is blue, or space is vast. There is no anger or denial, just simple resignation. Acceptance.

Ben’s chest constricts and he tightens his hug on the smaller boy. “You can come with me.”

That is when Albedo decides he has had enough and pushes Ben off. The teen stumbles back then straightens himself. Albedo is still looking at the water. “Liar. I’m just deadweight to you. You’re just saying that to make yourself feel better. You _will_ leave.”

A twinge of guilt pulsates from Ben’s chest, and he can feel his throat and eyes burn. He wants to deny it, but… he had thought about it. For a scant few minutes, Ben believed it. It isn’t even an hour since he remembers asking and getting no answer, pushing Albedo to help but the boy just freezes in place, still feels the weight of carrying the former Galvan down an endless flight of stairs.

“That’s not true,” Ben says. Lies. It settles on his gut like a heavy stone, his tongue suddenly too big inside his mouth, like his teeth can bite down through words he desperately wants not to believe in. Can feel the red of the untruth drip down his lips. “I promise I won’t leave you.”

Albedo is quiet, and Ben knows that the boy believes him as much as he does himself. A few minutes pass, the shadows cast by Galvan’s setting sun shifting and growing larger.

“I want to retrieve the basket, it’s…” Albedo pauses, searching for words. “It appears to be from Earth, and… I believe that other objects that seem out of place hold… keys.”

Ben doesn’t let the disappointment grow when Albedo drops the subject. Instead, he sighs and nods towards the boy. “Give me your pipe, I can try pulling it to us.”

Albedo is reluctant to part with his weapon, since his response to Ben is to hold on to it tighter. Ben could hardly blame him, but if they want to progress, he will need it. As patiently as he can, he held his hand out with a comforting smile, 

Bright red eyes darted between Ben’s hand and the pipe, and Ben can see the gears turning in Albedo’s head. It doesn’t take long when the smaller boy hands over the lead pipe gingerly, almost afraid. He doesn’t let go right away when Ben holds on to the cold metal _(he could feel dried specks of blood flaking under his fingers)_. Eventually, Albedo lets Ben take the pipe, and he suppresses the urge to sigh in relief before turning towards the lone basket in the middle of the small pond.

The basket is heavy, and the water ripples as Ben uses the pipe to drag the object towards them. Ben’s arms strain with the effort, but he manages to get the it closer until it’s within arm’s reach without having to stand with half his body over the water. Then Ben places the pipe on the ground.

Ben grabs the basket by the handle and tugs, frowning as it seems to be stuck on the water. As if something is holding it under the surface. Ben ends up using both hands, pulling and failing. Gritting his teeth, Ben planted both feet on the ground and turned to Albedo.

“Help?” 

The former Galvan gives him another one of his long unreadable looks. Before Ben can puzzle over what it means, Albedo is already behind him to help pull.

A low groan filled the air, strange buzzing (like flies) accompanied it. Both boys paid it no heed as they tugged, arms straining. A strange sense of foreboding fills Ben, his instincts screaming at him that danger is close. 

The basket lifts from the water, and cold dread trickles down Ben’s stomach. He can see hands gripping the wicker on the other end, fingers bloated blue. Rotten. The sour-sweet smell of decay mingles with stale water, and the basket lifts up exposing the body’s arms under dark jacket sleeves.

_“... why… like this? I’m your… I don’t….”_

Albedo gasps behind him and panic seizes Ben’s chest. “Whatever you do, whatever you see, _don’t_ _stop._ ”

Pouring all his strength, Ben manages to pull the basket all the way to the ground. Both boys stumble back, Ben miraculously landing on the metallic walkway, with Albedo just a few feet behind.

The buzzing turns to white noise, and in front of them is half of the very human corpse lying down on the path, face down with its silvery hair splayed like a halo. 

It doesn’t move, but Ben isn’t interested to stay long enough to see if it will.

Ben pulls himself up and opens the basket. Inside is a skeleton key, too old to be of use nowadays. Apart from it, is a note in water-stained paper. He pockets it for now, intent to read it later.

“Come on,” he calls Albedo and retrieves the pipe from the ground, and gives it back to him, “if this place is an exact copy of Galvan Prime, we might find something in Azmuth’s tower.”

Hesitantly, Albedo reaches for the weapon back and pulls it close to his chest, clutching on to the metal like it will disappear. Without any prompting, Albedo grabs on to Ben’s left hand with his right. Unlike the last time, their Omnitrices stay dormant.

_“What does… don’t have? Why is… when you… know him?”_

He squeezes Albedo’s hand comfortingly, a flutter of hope inside his chest. The smaller boy opens his mouth to speak, but a burst of static serves as their warning. From Ben’s periphery, he can see the other ponds begin to ripple, tiny bubbles floating up. Albedo’s pool stays still.

There’s no light left.

With unspoken understanding, Ben starts pulling Albedo as he grabs his phone and turns the flashlight on. High-pitched voices gibbering as water splashed, a thousand tiny feet pattering on metal.

Sirens shriek.

Ben glances behind and sees Galvans, but not the ones he’s familiar with.

They’re eyeless, amphibious skin covering their sockets like scar tissue, their mouths opened wide into rictus grins to reveal rows and rows of sharp teeth piercing grey gums, almost lamprey-like. They slip and stumble, bodies seizing in rhythmless spurts.

_“... am I… –od enough? What must… to… you? Why… I ha– to… myself to you? I’m—!”_

More mutated Galvans appear, piling on top of the ones that fell over. Slowly but surely closing the distance between them.

Not wanting to tempt fate any longer, Ben speeds up his pace, feels the edge of the knife through his pocket. He’s just glad he doesn’t need to worry much about Albedo as the former Galvan manages to keep up.

Klaxon thunders in the air, punctuated by thousands of Galvans running after Albedo and Ben, almost deafening with how loud it is. It’s hard to see in the near total darkness, and Ben nearly runs into a wall a couple of times, barely dodging out of the way as he pulls Albedo to safety. He could feel both of their hearts thundering, Albedo’s pulse throbbing under his palms as Ben’s chest burns as they run.

Azmuth’s tower looms overhead, somehow visible despite the shadows eating everything else. Ben’s flashlight barely illuminates the way, and it feels like the distance grows ever so large with every twist and turn of the road.

Another glance back almost had Ben’s heart stop in its tracks. The horde of mutated Galvans now tower over them like an enormous wave of mangled flesh and gnashing teeth, undulating as the mass of bodies writhing forward.

With a strength he didn’t know he has, Ben manages to pull Albedo up with one arm, and the boy instinctively clings to him with one arm while holding on to the pipe with his other. He feels Albedo freeze, definitely caught a glance of the horrible sight of what looks to be his own people trying to kill them.

With no time to stop, Ben makes another turn and his heart leaps up in hope as the entrance to Azmuth’s tower waiting before them. It doesn’t make sense that no more than a few seconds earlier, the distance is greater, but Ben can hardly complain when what looks like a safe place is just close by.

Metal screeches as Ben and Albedo burst through the doors, the metal swinging back and forth as they finally make their way in. Unlike the automatic sliding doors from the Galvan Prime Ben knows, this type of entrance is very much out of place.

There’s a pair of handles on both doors, and Ben lets Albedo down so he can pull both close.

Ben ignores the chill crawling down his spin as monstrous Galvans bang and scratch at the metal, trying to get in. He hears Albedo rummaging through the rubble inside, trying to find something to hold the entrance down so they can continue their escape.

Another horrible groaning fills the air, and Ben can feel his strength slipping as clawed fingers slip through the slit between the two doors, 

Just when he thought that his grip is going to let up, Albedo slips an enormous piece of rebar between the handles and tries bending them to lock the entrance close. Letting go of the handles, Ben wastes no time helping the former Galvan secure the entrance, twisting the mesh of metal together.

Once the door is locked tight, both boys let go.

The entrance continues to bang ominously, shaking with every effort from the creatures to pry it open. Somehow, the door holds, then the scrabbling disappears. The sirens and static die out. Ben finds himself dropping to his knees with bone-deep exhaustion the second time that day. He heaves and pants, chest burning with every breath. His heart feels like it will give out at any time, with fire bursting through his veins. 

Albedo isn’t as winded as Ben is, and wastes no time exploring where Ben’s flashlight can illuminate.

Eventually, Ben’s heart stops racing and he looks to his side to see Albedo rummaging through a pile of rubble. The smaller boy digs out an ancient-looking first aid kit. A thin layer of dust covers the red fabric, but the inside looks clean enough when the Albedo zips it open. 

It contains a roll of bandages, disinfectant, a bottle of pain-killers and a wad of cotton. 

Motioning for Albedo, Ben kneels until he’s at eye-level with the smaller boy, then removes the makeshift bandage around the former Galvan’s arm and inspects the wound. It already stopped bleeding, but it’s inflamed an angry red. They would just have to make do with what they have and hope that infection won’t set in. 

Albedo hisses as Ben proceeds to wipe the laceration with disinfectant-drenched cotton with one hand. He rubs soothing circles on Albedo’s back with his other, trying his best to comfort. Ben feels rather sees Albedo’s stare boring to his face, a little intimidated with the intensity of the former Galvan’s gaze.

It took a few more minutes before Ben is content that the wound was properly disinfected. He proceeds to wrap the wound with the bandage, ensuring it's tight enough to keep it from getting larger, but just loose enough that it won’t cut circulation off. 

“All good,” Ben says as he gives the dressing one last gentle tap, “can you take pills dry?”

“Disorientation is a side effect of pain medication, I don’t…” Albedo swallows audibly, and Ben sees a flicker of fear in his pale face. “I am capable of weathering through the pain.”

“I can carry you, you know?” Ben’s voice is light, as he tilts Albedo’s chin up to meet his eyes. “Just because you can stand the pain doesn’t mean you should. You have me.”

Ben can see Albedo’s red eyes burn with hope, an odd mirror of his own self when he was trapped inside Malware… before. It… soothes something in Ben’s chest. It was a cold that settled in his bones, that twisted his insides that made venom churn and spew just beneath his throat. He doesn’t understand where these feelings came from, but he’s just… relieved that Albedo _(not his Albedo)_ trusts him to a degree.

“Okay.” Albedo’s voice is small, unsure, but Ben is content with that.

“Okay,” Ben echoes back, and let’s go of the smaller boy. He stands up and dusts the grime that gathered on his knees. His hand brushes on the outline of the knife hidden in his pocket, and remembers the note he picked up earlier. “I found this from the basket.”

The writing on the paper is Galvan, and Ben can only make out a few characters. Otherwise, it’s completely indecipherable.

“Allow me.” Albedo takes the note, his gaze roving over the paper, mouthing the words silently. His expression becomes bemused, as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing. “It’s my handwriting, but I have never written anything like this in all my life.”

“What does it say?”

The paper crumples in Albedo’s fist, but he doesn’t let go.

 _“Do you ever miss_ _  
_ _The old great threes?_ _  
_ _I have never seen one_   
_But I wish to see_   
_them one day with you”_

“I somehow misspelled _trees_.” The former Galvan returns the paper, perturbed. 

“Do you think it means anything?”

“Galvan Prime–the original Galvan Prime– once had enormous floral life, far larger than the metallic structures we see in recent years. According to history, they were so large they blotted out the light of day.” Albedo’s voice sounded distant, his red eyes unfocused, seeing something Ben cannot. “Azmuth promised to show me once.”

“Albedo?” Ben;s throat constricts, and he reaches for the other boy. Albedo doesn’t respond right away, humming then he blinks, looking at Ben in confusion. Like Ben shook him awake from a dream.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My mind must have been somewhere else.” Without any hesitation, he places his smaller hand in Ben’s, gripping it tight. “The teleporter is this way.”

Ben nods and lets Albedo lead the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we go deeper into the nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> i'm going to add tags as i update as some of them can be spoiler-y


End file.
